What you and I choose to believe about marriage is wrapped up in how we view The Vow. When I say, “The Vow,” I am referring to the holy (set apart for a purpose) and sacred (connected to God) commitment that was made (or will be made) on your wedding day. This is a promise, a covenant, and a pledge between a husband and a wife and the God who breathed life into them. How you respond to the promise you made will determine who you are — whether you like it or not. This promise, and adequate respect for it, matters more than you probably realize. Let me paint a picture for you…

Do you ever wonder what "your type" is? Have you ever thought about that? When thinking about who we are and are not attracted to, we need to understand two things about our type. What is our type? And who is our type? Before we answer those questions, allow me to show you how important it is to work this out. Sooner or later, virtually everyone involved in a committed relationship will experience conflict in that relationship. This includes you and me too! When you do, you will likely ponder the following statement or something like it, "I just don't love him/her anymore and I realize now that he/she is not my type."…

I have spent a fair amount of time lately really trying to parse out the reasons why marriage vows are so powerful. To be fair, the reasons could fill entire chapter of a book, if not the whole book itself. Nonetheless, I am going to do my best to merely give some of the highlights here. Please keep in mind that while it is not my intent to talk down to those who are not married (or not yet!), it's difficult to understand some of the benefits of marriage without contrasting them to other forms of relationships and living arrangements. These other forms of relationships include cohabitation (living together), dating, single-parenting…

We all need to protect the things that are important to us and valuable to us. Our marriages are no different. Our marriages, in fact, should be at the top of that list because so much is at stake. Unfortunately, we have largely bought into the lie that we "deserve to be happy." This is the worst kind of lie because, if we are not careful in our thinking, it sounds like a good idea. Believing this kind of lie has dealt a sucker punch to the institution of marriage and made countless couples miserable. Please let me explain. Happiness is a feeling. It is something that comes and goes and it can be, at times, very fickle…

Did you know that each one of us possesses within us the ability to help others achieve their wildest dreams and ambitions? Our words can accomplish this. And did you know that we also possess the ability to tear down others, one piece at a time, until they no longer believe in themselves and until they are convinced that they are utterly worthless? Furthermore, once a person no longer believes in themselves, it is rare that you will find anyone else who believes in them either. Our words can do this much damage, and I'm quite ashamed to say that it happens much too often…

What you and I choose to believe about marriage is wrapped up in how we view The Vow. When I say, “The Vow,” I am referring to the holy (set apart for a purpose) and sacred (connected to God) commitment that was made (or will be made) on your wedding day. This is a promise, a covenant, and a pledge between a husband and a wife and the God who breathed life into them. How you respond to the promise you made will determine who you are — whether you like it or not. This promise, and adequate respect for it, matters more than you probably realize. Let me paint a picture for you…

Do you ever wonder what "your type" is? Have you ever thought about that? When thinking about who we are and are not attracted to, we need to understand two things about our type. What is our type? And who is our type? Before we answer those questions, allow me to show you how important it is to work this out. Sooner or later, virtually everyone involved in a committed relationship will experience conflict in that relationship. This includes you and me too! When you do, you will likely ponder the following statement or something like it, "I just don't love him/her anymore and I realize now that he/she is not my type."…

I have spent a fair amount of time lately really trying to parse out the reasons why marriage vows are so powerful. To be fair, the reasons could fill entire chapter of a book, if not the whole book itself. Nonetheless, I am going to do my best to merely give some of the highlights here. Please keep in mind that while it is not my intent to talk down to those who are not married (or not yet!), it's difficult to understand some of the benefits of marriage without contrasting them to other forms of relationships and living arrangements. These other forms of relationships include cohabitation (living together), dating, single-parenting…

We all need to protect the things that are important to us and valuable to us. Our marriages are no different. Our marriages, in fact, should be at the top of that list because so much is at stake. Unfortunately, we have largely bought into the lie that we "deserve to be happy." This is the worst kind of lie because, if we are not careful in our thinking, it sounds like a good idea. Believing this kind of lie has dealt a sucker punch to the institution of marriage and made countless couples miserable. Please let me explain. Happiness is a feeling. It is something that comes and goes and it can be, at times, very fickle…

Did you know that each one of us possesses within us the ability to help others achieve their wildest dreams and ambitions? Our words can accomplish this. And did you know that we also possess the ability to tear down others, one piece at a time, until they no longer believe in themselves and until they are convinced that they are utterly worthless? Furthermore, once a person no longer believes in themselves, it is rare that you will find anyone else who believes in them either. Our words can do this much damage, and I'm quite ashamed to say that it happens much too often…